Hot Mic

Shake with ice, strain into an ice filled rocks glass. Garnish with crystalized ginger and blackberries.

My parents really seem to have this whole retirement thing down pretty well. They are pros at keeping themselves busy. Adult education classes at local colleges, random performances in and around town, along with traditional hobbies like biking, knitting, and reading all fill their day. Real talk though, the activity that gets me most excited about retirement is their wine, beer, and booze tasting circuit.

They know when all their favorite liquor stores have various tastings during the week, and usually hit a few over a couple of days. When it’s a spirit tasting, they don’t hesitate to act as my de facto street PR team and talk up Mr. Muddle to whoever is pouring that day. On their latest trip up to visit, they brought me a bottle of Misunderstood ginger spiced whiskey they tried before they left NJ. In fact, when I posted a quick story to instagram and tagged @misunderstoondwhiskey, the owners replied and mentioned how nice it was to meet my parents. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Misunderstood starts with a solid whiskey made from a mostly corn mash, with a little rye and malted barley to round things out. As a result of the corn, the whiskey is just on the slightly sweeter end of the spectrum, lots of toffee and vanilla notes here. Then it’s infused with ginger, which brings a whole different flavor profile to the bottle. In a way, the ginger takes the place of rye as it provides its own spiciness, but it also tempers the finish and makes the swallow nice and smooth. It’s quite tasty on it’s own or with some club soda as a warm weather sipper.

When it came time try something a little more creative, I decided to build a drink around the whiskey and a homemade blackberry cinnamon shrub I had in the fridge. Cinnamon and ginger is a can’t miss combo, and I had high hopes for the low notes from the blackberries. Finally, to add more citrus and a touch more sweetness, I grabbed Licor 43 and some lemon.

The Hot Mic started with the warm aroma of ginger and cinnamon, underscored by the classic caramel notes from the whiskey. The spices continue to lead the charge on the sip, but then the whiskey and berries kick in and start to round things out. Vanilla plays off the berries and whiskey to add a floral sweetness, and the citrus adds to the already present zing from the ginger. The finish is smooth, with more ginger and toffee notes. It’s dangerously drinkable.

Misunderstood whiskey is definitely a whiskey first, and a tasty, drinkable one at that. The addition of fresh ginger really adds a welcomed new dimension, and certainly lends itself to refreshing drinks. However, I’m looking forward to seeing how it will play as the warmer weather sets in. I bet it will perform just as well in that setting too. If you are a whiskey lover (or even if you’re skeptical about the brown stuff), I highly recommend grabbing a bottle.